INTRODUCTION: uRang Alas and Alaslanden

The Alas, uRang Alas or kalak Alas, are an ethnic group who, for the most part, inhabit the Alas valley in the northern region of the island of Sumatra in Indonesia. In former days, the name was also spelled Allas (Marsden 1783:313; Radermacher 1781:8; Rosenberg 1854:464-5), but in 1908 the spelling of Alas was officially adopted by the Dutch government (Lijst 1806:8). The noun Alas refers to the people, to the land, and to the language itself. It is also used as an adjective: the Alas valley is called Lembah Alas, and Alasland is tanoh Alas. This term is used by other ethnic groups as well as by the Alas.

There are several folk etymological views about the origin of the term Alas. Kreemer insists that this term originates from the name of a Batak chief who settled down in the Alas village of Batu Mbulan (1822:64; 1823:243-4). These days, however, no Alas whom I asked knows this tradition, and only a few Alas still believe the term Alas originates from the name of an inhabitant of this village who was not a Batak chief. Some Alas say that the term Alas comes from Javanese, viz. tales, 'taro' (Horne 1974:585), which can frequently be seen in Alasland, or from alas, 'forest' or 'non-irrigated agricultural land' (Home 1974:15; see Kreemer 1922:64; Militaire Memorie 1930-1:20).

However, one of the lost strongly held views is that the term Alas is a modification of "las" in the Karo Batak language. The word las means 'heat of fire' or 'heat of the sun', and the derivative, malas wans 'hot' or 'warm' in that language (Joustra 1907:213; Neumann 1951:171). It is true that Alasland, a lowland, is much hotter than Karoland, a highland. Another view, adopted by van Daalen (1907:205), suggests that the term Alas is derived from the word alas of the Gayo language, which leans 'mat' (Hazeu 1907:13; cf. Kreemer 1922:64). While Gayoland is a mountainous area, Alasland is as even as a mat in the eyes of the Gayo. One of my informants offers yet another view, that the term Alas is a modification of alèh, which means 'lower part', 'pedestal', 'undercarriage', or 'substratum' (Toorn 1891:11) in Malay as spoken by the Minangkabau. The term alèh is cognate with the term alas ('disconnected base' or 'foundation'; Echols et al. 1963:7-8; Wilkinson 1959:17) in standard Malay.

1. Social Geography

The Alas valley, which is the homeland of the Alas, is wast. It is situated on the Alas’s river (Lawë Alas) in the inland area of northern Sumatra (see Map 1). The Gayo Luos highland to the north, the Bukit Barisan range to the west, the Alas range, formerly the Wilhelmina range, to the east, and the Karo-Dairi highland to the south surround the valley. Although the only gap is the outlet of the Alas river into the Singkil plain on the south side, it is no more than a few kilometres wide. Therefore, the Alas valley was cut off from the outside world before the nineteenth century.

The Alas river is the upper reach of the Simpang Kiri river or the Singkil river in the South Aceh Regency (Kabupaten Aceh Selatan), whose source is Mt. Leuser in the Bukit Barisan range (see Beets 1933:19; Kreemer 1922:104-5). It also flows into the Indian Ocean. Alasland is the very fertile alluvial land formed by this river and its branches, which is flooded more often than not. In the northwest it is nearly 260 metres above sea level, while in the southeast it is approximately 150 metres above sea level (Volz 1912:151,153). So the whole of Alasland used to be the tropical rain forest with high humidity (see Kreemer 1917: 399). In contrast with the lowland, the ranges on both the east and the west sides rise to a height of 1,500-2,000 metres (Volz 1912:346). While the maximum width of the plain that is lower than 500 metres is 9 kilometres, and the minimum width is 3 kilometres, the length from the northern most village of the Alas named Jongar (339' N., 97*43' B.; see Map 2), to the southernmost Alasland, Kedë Ampun Tuan (3*01' M., 97*55' E.; see Map 1), which

Map 1: Special Province of Aceh

was the border with the Singkil region (see below, Sec. 4), is nearly 72 kilometres. Alasland consists of three geographical parts, viz. the Gerger plain, the Batu Mbulan and Bambel plain, and the Ngkeran plain (Beets 1933:15; Daalen 1907:204; Volz 1912: 344-5). Usually, the term Alasland means only these inhabited plains at the bottom of the Alas valley. It covers an area of nearly 400 square kilometres. On the other hand, all mountainous areas are uninhabited forests (see Map 3).

These days, the greater part of Alasland belongs to the Southeast Aceh Regency (Kabupaten Aceh Tenggara) of the Special Province of Aceh (Propinsi Daerah Istimewa Aceh). However, a part of southern Alasland belongs to the Province of North Sumatra (Propinsi Sumatera Utara), because almost all of it was an uninhabited forest before the 1910's (Volz 1909:358-9; 1912:407) and has no villages belonging to the Alas even now. So the border between Alasland and Karoland was the village of Lau Balang, which is now situated in the Province of North Sumatra, in theory, but it is the village of Lawe Pakam, which is situated between the Southeast Aceh Regency and the Province of North Sumatra, in practice. The Alas are scattered over five districts (kecamatan) in the Southeast Aceh Regency: Badar District, Babussalam District, Bambel District, Lawe Alas District, and Lawe Sigala- gala District (see Map 2). However, there are nine districts in all, the other four being inhabited by the Gayo people.

The capital town of the Southeast Aceh Regency is Kutacane (3*30' N., 97*48' E.), and is located in the middle of the Alas

Map 2; Alasland

Map 3: Villages In Alasland

Kutacane which was spelled Koetö Tjané. Koeta Tjane, Koetatjane, or Kotatjane in the old Malay orthography (see Orthography), is a kind of village-town (kelurahan kota) in the administrative system of Indonesia, and had a population of 3,307 in 1985 (Kantor Statistik Kabupaten Aceh Tenggara 1886b:7). However, not only the government office (kantor bupati) of the Southeast Aceh Regency but also many other administrative offices are situated in the village of Kutacane Lama, and several high schools in Kutacane are in the village of Bambel. In everyday conversation, therefore, Kutacane means a fair-sized area around the village-town of Kutacane, including several villages of Pulo Nas, Perapat, Kutacane Lama, Bambel, and others.

       Kutacane is the largest town in the Southeast Aceh Regency, which has all sorts of administrative offices, a police station, a military headquarters, schools, a shop-lined street, a permanent market, a cinema, and so on. The most important feature of Kutacane is the nonexistence of Chinese merchants, unlike other small towns in Indonesia such as Takengon, Langsa, or Kabanjahe. This is because almost all Chinese in Alasland were driven away by the government after the 1965 coup, as this region was not a regency at the time. Indeed, Chinese merchants held the reins of economic power in Kutacane before 1865. At present, however, mainly Minangkabau, Malays, and Batak are owners of most of the shops there.

2. Climate

       In the north coast of Aceh, the northeast monsoon prevails in northern hemispheric summer and the east or southeast wind prevails in winter (Lekkerkerker 1916:96). Since Alasland forms a basin surrounding the mountain ranges, however, it is not subject to the influence of the wind system of this kind (Berge 1934:4; cf. Kreemer 1923:619). There are no extremes of temperature between the months, while a sudden change of temperature between morning and afternoon characterizes Alasland. The German geographer Volz suggests that there are also extremes of atmospheric pressure by day (1912:155). Usually, it is cool at dawn, while it is very hot in the afternoon. According to my investigation, the average temperature is between 20*C and 32*C (cf. Daalen 1905b:138). In 1987, the maximum temperature of 34'C occurred at 1 p.m. in July, and the minimum temperature of 18*C occurred at 5 a.m. in February.

       There are two seasons in Alasland: the dry season (mase pelego) and the rainy season (mase peRudan). The Alas say that the dry season lasts from January to July, and the rainy season lasts from August to December. However, this varies from year to year. Table 1 shows rainfall (mm. and days) in Alasland (cf. Berge 1934:5).

  

3. Population

The exact population of the Alas before 1904 when the Dutch army first came to Alasland, is not known, but it was estimated at approximately 10,000. When Volz came to Alasland in 1905, he was surprised at the small population of the Alas, viz. approximately 7,000 persons, compared with the huge area of land (1912:154,346; see Kempees 1905:143). Some causes of under population mentioned by him were the effect of van Daalen's expedition in 1904 (see below, Sec. 5), anarchy, and infectious diseases (Volz 1912:154, 346-7). In particular, some diseases such as malaria, frambesia, dysentery, and leprosy were rife before the Second World War (Berge 1934:11; Kempees 1905:114-5; Kreemer 1923:610-2; Simons 1933:25-8). Moreover, Alasland, which is far from the sea, was also an area infected by goitre and cretinism which was caused by a lack of iodine (Beets 1933:48; Berge 1934:11; Bommel 1930; Kreemer 1923:610; Simons 1933).

While the population of the administrative division of Alasland (afdeeling Alaslanden) was 14,249 in 1920 (Beets 1933: 32), the national census in 1930 gave the population of the administrative subdivision of Alasland (onderafdeeling Alaslanden) as being 20,119: 9,675 men and 9,918 women of the natives including the Alas, the Gayo, the Batak and other ethnic groups, 39 Europeans, 478 Chinese, and 9 persons of other Asian origins such as Japanese (Departement van Economische Zaken 1935:112). Out of 20,119 persons, 7,323 lived in Poeloe Nas (Pulo Nas) District and 12,797 lived in Bambél (Bambel) District including Kutacane (see below. Sec. 5). Kutacane had a population of 1,109 (Departeaent van Econoaische Zaken 1935:121). The density of population of Alasland in 1930 was estimated at approximately 50 persons per square kilometre (cf. Departement van Econiaische Zaken 1935:156).

The census of 1965 put the population at 86,681: 15,310 persons in Pulo Nas District, 32,294 persons in Bambel District, 12,704 persons in Lawe Alas District, and 26,370 persons in Lawe Sigala-gala District (Source: Kantor Statistik Kabupaten Aceh Tenggara). On the other hand, the census of 1985 gave the population of five districts, where almost all of the Alas live, as being 131,310: 10,369 men and 10,683 women in Badar District, 13,396 men and 13,431 women in Babussalam District, 13,760 men and 14,334 women in Bambel District, 8,236 men and 8,854 women in Lawe Alas District, and 18,362 men and 19,886 women in Lawe Sigala-gala District (Bappeda et al. 1987:16). The density of population of Alasland in 1985 was estimated at approximately 330 persons per square kilometre. However, the density of population of the five districts, including uninhabited mountainous areas, was estimated at approximately 30 persons per square kilometre.

However, not every census gave the separate population of each ethnic group. So the above-mentioned figures included not only Alas, but also Gayo, Batak, Javanese, Acehnese, Minangkabau, and so on. According to my investigation, in 1985 the estimated population of the Alas was approximately 70,000 persons. These days, approximately 5,000 Alas live outside Alasland, for example, in the Province of North Sumatra including Medan, in Banda Aceh, in the East Aceh Regency, in the South Aceh Regency, in Jakarta, or in the Federation of Malaysia. In the nineteenth century, some Alas already lived in north Sumatra, probably near Bohorok (see Snouck Hurgronje 1903:389), and many moved to Malaya during the colonial era.

4. Pre-colonial History

Not much is known about the Alas before colonial days, i.e. before 1904. It is rather strange that historical materials in Malay, written between the fourteenth and nineteenth century, such as Hikayat Raja-Raja Pasai (Hill, ed. 1960), Sëjarah Melayu (Brown, ed. 1953), Hikajat Atjéh (Iskandar, ed. 1958), or Adat Atjèh (Drewes et al., eds. 1960), contain no mention of the Alas but do describe the Gayo (Hill, ed. 1960:59,120,180; Iskandar, ed. 1958: 165) and the Batak (Iskandar, ed. 1958:91-2,146-7). Most probably, J. C. M. Radermacher was the first Dutch to refer to the Alas, although his account is not wholly accurate:

The kingdom of Simamore (one of three Batak kingdoms), which lies inland to the east, comprises a great number of native villages, among them Batong, Ria, Allas (Alas), Batadera, and Kapkap [Pak pak], where camphor and benzoin grow, Bataholberg, and Kotta Tingi, which is the king's seat. On the east coast are two native villages named Suitara-male and Jamboe-aijer (Radermacher 1781:8, my translation).

Shortly thereafter, William Marsden gave a somewhat more correct description of the Alas, saying that the customs of the Alas, perhaps in terms of Islamic religion, are identical with those of the Acehnese:

The interior inhabitants, from Acheen [Aceh] to Singkell [Singkil], are distinguished into those of Alias [Alas], Reeah, and Carrow [Karo]. The Achenese [Acehnese] Banners prevail among the two former, but the Carrow [Karo] people resemble the Battas [Batak], whose country they are divided from by a chain of mountains (Marsden 1783:313).

However, neither of these reporters ever entered Alasland.

The oral tradition of the Alas tells that they are the descendants of various migrants such as Karo Batak, Toba Batak, Dairi (Pakpak) Batak, Gayo, Singkil, Minangkabau, Acehnese, Kluet, and others who migrated to Alasland one after another. Although not all of such oral tradition can be regarded as historical truth, it is certain that the Alas are a mixed ethnic group (see Keapees 1905:145). According to Volz, the Alas are people with mixed Batak, Kubu, and Malay blood, but most of all they are mixed with Malays, and in appearance are more like Batak than Gayo (1912:154-5). Kreemer tells us that the Alas are on the whole smaller than the Gayo, and they can also be differentiated from the Acehnese by the shape of the nose: the former have slightly indented noses and wide spreading nostrils, which are similar to Batak noses, while the latter have more or less hooked noses (1917:400; 1920:84; 1922:226).

In the middle of the sixteenth century, the kingdom of Aceh rose to power in the northern tip of Sumatra. After a sultan named Iskandar Muda ascended the throne in 1607, he went on a military expedition to the Malay Peninsula as well as to other areas in Sumatra: Deli, Nias, Singkil, Barus, Padang, and other places and extended the authority of the kingdom over the whole of Sumatra (Lombard 1967:91-8). There is no historical material to suggest that the Alas crossed swords with the kingdom of Aceh at that time. According to oral tradition, however, Kedë Ampun Tuan (shop of the Lord's Pardon') in the southernmost point of Alasland is on the site of an ancient battle between the Alas and the Acehnese (see above. Sec. 1). The invading Acehnese, who were following the course of the Alas’s river, were defeated by the Alas, surrendered there, and apologized to the Alas. Because this place was an important transit and trading post on the Alas’s river between Alasland and the outside world, a small shop was built and named after this event. Nowadays, however, the shop no longer exists, but the name remains. Nevertheless, the Alas had undoubtedly been incorporated into the kingdom of Aceh by not later than the middle of the seventeenth century. Thereafter, Acehnese suzerainty over Alasland continued at least nominally until 1904.

However, how Acehnese suzerainty over Alasland was achieved is not clearly known, because there is no written record. Those events are handed down, in Alas, only in oral tradition, although, as repeatedly mentioned, it is not always regarded as historical fact. what follows is the oral tradition concerning the pre-colonial history of Alasland. Unfortunately, no Alas these days can recount the tradition completely, but several informants can relate fragments of it. Before the Second World War, the legend was published three times in Dutch, by Van Daalen (1907:205-7,209-11), the Encyclopaedisch Bureau (1916:118-21), and Kreemer (1923: 243-5; cf. Militaire Momorie 1930-1:20-2). Both the Encyclopaedisch Bureau version and Kreemer's version are based upon the "Memorie van overgave" written in 1915 by C. G. J. Christan, who was the then Dutch controller (controleur) of the administrative division of Alasland (afdeeling Alaslanden; see below. Sec. 5). It has not yet been traced. However, there are slight differences between the two, and they, in turn, differ in many ways from van Daalen's version. Here, therefore, the English translation of the Encyclopaedisch Bureau version, which is the most detailed, is given, and in square brackets the differences between them all are Mentioned.

According to tradition, the first settlers of this immense valley case from Karoland. [The first settlers were many pagan Batak who came from Toba Lake to the village of Batoe Mboelan [Batu Mbulan] under the leadership of the chief named Alas (Kreemer 1923:243-4). Some other first settlers came from the Pasè [Pasai] region, and others came from the Kloeët (Kluet) region. The former established the village of Këpala Desö (Kepale Dëse), which is the present village of Tëroetong Pédi (Terutung Pedi), and the latter established the village of Sinagö [Sinage] (Daalen 1907:205).] There were four names: Alas, Kroeas [KeRuas], Pagan, and Këpala Dèsa [Kepale Dése], which we still find in the account of the clans (mërga [meRge]). They settled down near to the present village of Batoe MBoelan [Batu Mbulan], probably under the leadership of Alas, after whoa the land was named. After a time, other Batak came, viz. Lambing and his two sons. Radja Lélô, who was the ancestor of the territorial chief of 'Ngkran [Ngkeran], and Radja Adéh, who was the ancestor of the territorial chief of Kèrëtan [Keretan]. [Lambing was a raja of the Dairi Batak. First of all, he moved to Karoland, and founded the clan of Merga Sebayang of the Karo Batak approximately three hundred years ago. Then be moved to Alasland, and founded the clan of MeRge Selian of the Alas (see Chap. IV. 1). Finally, he moved to the Kluet region, and died there (Sebayang 1986:5-21; cf. Singariabun 1975:73). According to one of any informants, Lambing begat three sons in Alasland, viz. Radja Lélô, Radja Adéh, and Radja Kaye who was the ancestor of the territorial chief of Batin (cf. Sebayang 1986:17).] After the Batak immigrants, new colonists came from Minangkabau, under the leadership of Radja Déwa, and then many others followed them. [Radja Déwa came from the Rau region (central Sumatra) by way of the Paso [Pasai] district (Kreemer 1923:244). Radja Dewa, who had a kinship relationship with a lineage of a clan headman (Datoeo) in the Pagar-roejoeng [Pagarruyung] region (Minangkabau), came from the Rau region, and then in Alasland he married a daughter of Lambing (Daalen 1907:206). According to one of my informants, however. Radja Dewa became Lambing's adopted child. A genealogy of Radja Dewa shows him as having two wives, viz. a daughter of Radja Babar who bore no child, and a daughter of Radja Pasei [Pasai] who bore a son named Alas (Militaire Memorie 1930-1, BijlageC). The immigrants who followed Radja Déwa were also Minangkabau under the leadership of a chief named Sahoedana (Kreeaer 1923:224).] Because the Minangkabau colonists were more advanced, they succeeded in attaining superiority over the regaining ethnic groups and compelled them to accept the Islamic religion. Radja Déwa was succeeded by his son named Alas. During Alas's days, the first Acehnese settlement was founded under the leadership of Mègit Ali, whose existence has been historically verified. He was the ancestor of the territorial chief of Béntjirim [Bencirim]. (His descendant also became the ancestor of the territorial chief of Bia' Moeli [Biak Muli] (Kreemer 1923:224). He founded the clan of MeRge BeRuh (see Chap. IV. 1).] The settlement of Batoe 'mBoelan [Batu Mbulan] gradually expanded into more and more new villages. However, all of the new villages recognized the village of Batoe 'mBoelan [Batu Mbulan] as the mother village and the descendant of Radja Déwa (successively, Nja' Ali, Nja' Atjeh, Si Padang,and Radja Këmala) as chief overall. [The descendants of Radja Dewa were successively Alas, Nja' Ali, Radja Kampoeng, Nja' Atjeh, Radja Padang, and Radja Keumala (Militaire Memorie 1930-1, Bijlage C).

In the days of Radja Kemala, it became necessary for Alasland to establish a close connection with the powerful kingdom of Aceh, which forced the Gayo to dispatch the territorial chiefs (Si-Opât) as the representatives of local kings (rödjö) to the court of the sultan. In Alasland, the choice of the representatives was not so difficult; the leading chief. Radja Këmala, was elected without opposition, he being the obvious choice as he overshadowed everybody else. Radja Këmala then went to the court of the sultan in order to swear allegiance, and he came back provided with a sword (bawar [bawaR]) and the recognition of the sultan by which he was acknowledged as the territorial headman of Alasland. [Radja Këmala was acknowledged as the local lord (Këdjoeroen [kejuRun]) of Alasland by the Acehnese sultan (Kreeaer 1923:244).

The Alas needed to increase their population in order to open up waste land, but the rules of exogamy were an insurmountable obstacle to this end. The number of clans (mërga [meRge]) between which there were no matrimonial prohibitions was still small; therefore, they needed new blood. In order to solve this problem. Radja Këmala had the original idea of inviting the ruler of Geumpang, who was a blue-blooded Acehnese, and his followers to settle down in the Alas valley, where he was given a fief. This noble, whose name was Toenggal Alas, was well pleased and was allotted the southern part of the valley with the settlements therein. [Both van Daalen and Kreemer suggest that Goempang [Gumpang], which is not Geumpang, was a village situated up to the Alas’s river in Gayo Luos (Daalen 1907:209; Kreemer 1923:244), but Kreemer doubts whether an Acehnese settlement was in Goeapang [Guapang] (1923:244). According to van Daalen, Toenggal Alas was a Minangkabau (1907:210). In another genealogy, however, his name was unknown (Militaire Memorie 1930-1, Bijlage C). His father, named Pêrambat, was an Acehnese (Kreemer 1923:244). Toenggal Alas founded the clan of MeRge Sekedang (see Chap. IV. 1).] During the negotiation of this matter, then, Radja Kêmala discovered to his cost, as legend tells us, the cunning nature of the Acehnese; it was his introduction to the necessity to be on his guard against the lust for power of Toenggal Alas. For that purpose, he ordered the descendants of Radja Lélô to settle upstream of Toenggal Alas's region on the right bank of the Alas river, while the descendants of Radja Adéh were allotted the left bank, by which means a bulwark was formed for the northern part of the valley, which remained under the direct rule of Radja Kêmala.

Shortly after this, the Rijam war (prang Rijam) broke out. [The Rijam war broke out in the days of Lekan who was a son of Radja Këmala (Daalen 1907:208).] The war was caused by the plunderin expedition of Rijam, a son of the ruler of the Sim-Sim (Dairi [Dairi]) Batak. [The ruler of the Sem-Sem [Dairi] Batak had three sons: the eldest son succeeded his father, the second named Rijam settled in the village of Perbesi [Karoland], and the youngest named Aleddin settled in Alasland (Daalen 1907:208).] Their raid extended to Kloeët [Kluet], Gajo-Loeös [Gayo Luos], and even to the Döröt [Deret] region. Toenggal Alas fled back to his own country with his company. However, Radja Kemala, who was especially helped by his adopted son Aléhsah (according to the legend, he was a brother of Rijam), succeeded in defeating Rijam and ejected him, with great loss, from the land. [According to van Daalen, Aléhsah was known as Aleddin who married a cousin of Lekan's (Lekan's brother's daughter) in Alasland (1907:206), but another genealogy suggests that Alihdin was a son of Radja Kemala (Militaire Memorie 1930-1, Bijlage C).] After this. Radja Këmala induced Toenggal Alas to return to his own dominion, and, in addition, Radja Këmala conferred upon Toenggal Alas the title of local lord (Këdjoerön [kejeRun]) of Bambél [Bambel], administering the region of Bambel [Bambel] (the southern part of the valley) under the sovereignty of Radja Këmala. [Concerning the origin of the local lord of Bambel, van Daalen gives the following story which is slightly different from the above-Mentioned one: In olden times, the village of Goempang [Gumpang] had become overpopulated, so the inhabitants migrated to the downstream region of the village of Batoe Mboelön [Batu Mbulan]. However, a fight between the immigrants and villagers in Batoe Mboelön [Batu Mbulan] broke out, and finally the immigrants were repulsed to the upper area of Singkil (Boven-Singkel). In the village of Goempang [Gumpang], meanwhile, the ruler named Djoehar [Njohar], who was a Minangkabau, established a mighty kingdom. Subsequently, an Acehnese sultan and his followers came to Goempang [Gumpang], and after defeat the inhabitants he became the ruler of Goempang [Gumpang]. The Acehnese ruler married a woman in Goempang [Gumpang], but she was already pregnant with a son. When the son grew up, he told his mother that his father was not the Acehnese ruler, and then he drove all Acehnese people away from Goempang [Gumpang] by force of arms. After that, the new ruler of Goempang [Gumpang] moved to the downstream area of Batoe Mboelön [Batu Mbulan] at the invitation of the ancestor of the headman (Pënroeloe [pengulu]) of Tjeg [Cik] in Batoe Mbeolön [Batu Mbulan]. There after, those who had been banished to the upper area of Singkil were called back and settled in Alasland under the patronage of Djöhar's [Njohar's] lineage. The head of the lineage named Datoe Djoelin went to Aceh, and received the recognition of the sultan and a sword (bawar [bawaR]), by which he was acknowledged as the local lord (Këdjoeron [keJuRun]) of Bambel (1907:210). The local lord was sometimes referred to as the local lord of Djöhar [Njohar] (Daalen 1905a:87-102; Kempees 1905:128,149)].

At the same time, after the termination of the Rijam war. Radja Këmala extended to his helper, Alésah, a token of his favour by granting him the title of local lord (Këdjoeron [keJuRun]). However, Alésah did not gain his own territory. It was true that Alésah exercised his authority over the northern part of the valley (the region of Batoe 'mBoelan [Batu Mbulan]), but he was still subordinate to Radja Këmala. His descendants founded the lineage of the present local lord of Poeloe Nas [Pulo Nas]. [After the Rijam war, Alledin's lineage rose to power, while Lekan's power began to fade. Alledin went to Aceh, and received the recognition of the sultan and a sword (bawar [bawaR]), by which he vas acknowledged as the local lord (Këdjoeron [keJuRun]) of Batoe Mboelön [Batu Mbulan] (Daalen 1907:206-7)].

Probably under the influence of Aceh, Radja Këmala thought that the time had now come to organize the domestic government of the two regions which were under him. In each region he appointed a council of state, Si-êmpat (or Simpat), the function of which corresponded to that of toehapeuët or datoe-berampat in the northern and southern coastal areas.

Members of the council of state, who were four territorial chiefs (Péngoeloe Si-ëmpat (pengulu si-empat). were chosen from among the most influential tribal (soekoe (sukul)) headmen. In the northern region of the valley, i.e. the region of Batoe 'mBoelan [Batu Mbulan], the local lord, Alésah (Radja Bintang) was assisted by the following headmen promoted to the territorial chiefs:

Bentjirim [Bencirim],

Kêrétan [Keretan],

Batin,

The fourth position was held by Radja Këmala here, who at the same time exercised direct control over the most important settlements.

In the region of Bambel [Bambel], over which Toenggal Alas ruled under the supremacy of Radja Këmala, the following territorial chiefs were given advancement:

'Ndjõhar [Njohar],

'Ngkran [Ngkeran],

Biaq Moeli [Biak Muli],

Here, too, the fourth territorial chief's post was not held by a tribal headman (pëneoeloe soekoe (pengulu suku)). because Radja Kemala anticipated that the local lord of Bambël [Bambel], who was Radja Këmala's vassal, would have the complete governmental organization a part from Radja Këmala, and would there by be regarded as the independent territorial ruler of Bambel [Bambel]. [The ancestor of the territorial chief of Ndjohar [Njohar] was one of Toenggal Alas's brother (Kreemer 1923:245). According to another genealogy, however, his ancestor seems to have been one of Toenggal Alas's children (Militaire Meaorie 1930-1, Bijlage C).]

Here also, therefore, the fourth post was reserved to Radja Këmala, although he exercised no further functions. After this arrangement, the following incident occurred:

The real local ruler of the whole of Alasland, Radja Tjèq [Raje Cik] (Radja Këmala), who was recognized by Aceh, abandoned all direct sovereign power and played the role of roi fainéant. In the region of Bambel [Bambel] he had handed over all powers to his vassal, viz. the local lord of Bambel [Bambel]. On the other hand, the local lord of Radja Bintang, who was Radja Këmala's deputy, administered the region of Batoe 'mBoelan [Batu Mbulan] in the name of Radja Këmala. Radja Këmala continued to exercise direct authority only over the neighbourhood of the village of Batoe 'mBoelan [Batu Nbualn], in which Radja Kêmala lived. Each local lord (Këjoerön (kejuRun)) was assisted by three territorial chiefs (Pëngoeloe si-ëmpat [pengulu si-empat)), while Radja Tjèq [Raje Cik] took care to confirm his direct influence over the governing of the two regions by reserving the fourth post in each council of state for himself. Because, in Batoe 'mBoelan [Batu Mbulan], Radja Tjèq [Raje Cik] exercised direct authority over the important parts of the region, he was totally indifferent to the influence of the local lord and the council of state. Finally, therefore, he allowed his imam, a prominent Malay, to take his place as the fourth territorial chief. [He was usually known as lmöm Balé [Imem Balê] (Daalen 1907:209; Kreemer 1923:245). He settled in the village of Ntoealang [Tualang] (Daalen 1907:209). His clan was MeRge Pelis. Thus, in fact Radja Këmala handed over all direct concern with domestic government to the local lord of Bintang.

However, everyone continued to recognize Radja Tjèq [Raje Cik] as the nominal supreme sovereign in both regions. Gradually, however, this recognition came to be neglected, so the two local lords came to assume the position of completely independent regional lords, while the supreme authority of Radja Tjèq [Raje Cik] over the two regions completely disappeared (Encyclopaedisch Bureau 1916: 118 - 21; my translation). [In addition, the deputy of each local lord, whose title was Radja Moeda [Raje mude], was appointed by each local lord. The deputy of the local lord of Bambel [Bambel] lived in the village of Bambel [Bambel], and the deputy of the local lord of Batoe Mboelan [Batu Mbulan] lived in the village of Lawé Sagoe [Lawe Sagu] (Kreemer 1923:245). The deputy of the local lord of Bambel had the same ancestor as the local lord of Bambel (Militaire Memorie 1930-1, Bijlage C).]

Table 2 shows the political organization of Alasland in 1904. First of all, the whole of Alasland was divided into two parts, viz. the region of Batu Mbulan and the region of Bambel, each of which was ruled over by a local lord called kejuRun. Secondly, each local lord was attended by five vassals, viz. a vice-local lord (Raje müde) and four territorial chiefs (pengUlu si-empat or Raje beRempat). As shown in Table 3, which lists all villages and hamlets in Alasland in 1904, however, each

local lord exercised direct control over several important villages and tribal village headmen (pengulu suku). Then, finally, each territorial chief was attended by several tribal village headmen, each of whom ruled over a few villages. Similarly, each territorial chief also exercised direct control over a number of important villages. It is said that there were, in total, the same number of tribal village headmen as there were clans (MeRge) in Alasland (cf. Kempees 1905: 145), but according to Snouck Hurgronje in 1901-2 there were only twelve village tribal headmen: Pengoeloe Kléng [Pengulu Keling] in the village of Mamas, Pengoeloe Pinding [Pengulu Pinding] in the village of Pasér Pëndjélenakê [Pasir Penjengakan], Pengoeloe Deski [Pengulu Deski] in the village of Mbarông [Mbarung], Pengoeloe Perapat [Pengulu Perapat] in the village of Perapat, Pengoeloe Kisam [Pengulu Kisam] in the village of Kisam, Pengoeloe Muntë [Pengulu Muntë] in the village of Lawe Hedjö [Lawe Hijo], Pengoeloe Pinding [Pengulu Pinding] in the village of Koetö" Lëmpëroe [Kute Lemperu], Pengoeloe Pëdeisi [Pengulu Pedesi] in the village of Pëdeisi [Pedesi], Pëngoleoe Tébing Datas [Pengulu Tebing Datas] in the village of Ntoealang Sëmbilar [Tualang Seibilar], Pengoeloe Mahö [Pengulu Nahe] in the village of Koetö Gerat [Kute Gerat], Pengoeloe Angin-angin [Pengulu Angin-angin] in the village of Poelô Téboe [Pulo Tebu], and Pengoeloe Moentei [Pengulu Muntë] in the village of Koetö Batoe [Kute Batu] (Snouck Hurgronje 1901-2b:30-7).

According to oral tradition, as Mentioned before, one or two prominent native headmen in Alasland went to the kingdom of Aceh, whose sultan recognized them by the conferring of several royal gifts, viz. a sword (bawaR) (see Kempees 1905:147; Kreemer 1920: 120; 1922:309; 1923:179; Zentgraaff 1938:228), a royal seal (cap siwah; lit. 'nine-fold seal') (see Kreemer 1923:178; Rouffaer 1906; Snouck Hurgronje 1906a:129-32; 1907; Siegel 1979:23-8), a large yellow turban (bulang mbelin.), a large bronze drum (gang), and others, by which they were acknowledged as the local lords (kejuRun), in return for which they paid homage to the sultan. The office of keJuRun was a title of the local lords of the dependencies recognized by the kingdom of Aceh, the rank of which was lover than that of the Acehnese local lords named as uléëbalangs (Snouck Hurgronje 1906a:92). Subsequently, the local lords appointed several native headmen to the office of vice-local lord (Raje mude), and to that of four territorial chiefs (pengulu si-empat or Raje beRempat). Although oral tradition is silent on the point, it is certain that all vice-local lords, all territorial chiefs, and several tribal village headmen also went to the kingdom of Aceh (see Appendix), where they received the recognition of the sultan and several gifts, and that in exchange they too swore allegiance to the sultan.

Roughly speaking, the region of the local lord of Batu Mbulan comprised, in the lain, villages and haslets in the northern part of Alasland, while the region of the local lord of Bambel comprised, in the mine, villages and hamlets in the southern part of Alasland. However, it must be noted that there was no rigid boundary line between the two parts. In other words, the villages ruled over by a local lord or a territorial chief did not always constitute one continuous territory but were sometimes scattered over the whole of Alasland (Encyclopaedist Bureau 1916: 123-4; Kempees 1905:148; Kreemer 1920:94,96; 1923:245-6; Militaire Memorie 1930-1:7,23), because, at that time, the basic corporate group was not the village but the descent group. As is shown in Table 3, for example, the territorial chief of Biak Muli, under the authority of the local lord of Bambel, assumed control of six villages: Koetö Langlang [Kute Lang-lang], Biaq Moeli [Biak Muli], Likat, Tandjong [Tanjung], Mamas, and Pëdèisi [Pedesi]. It is true that the villages of Koetö Langlang [Kute Lang-lang], Biaq Moeli [Biak Muli], Likat, and Pedèisi [Pedesi] were contiguous in the southern part of Alasland. In the village of Koetö Langlang [Kute Lang-lang], lived the territorial chief. However, the villages of Tandjong [Tanjung] and Mamas were situated in the northern part of Alasland and very far from the first four villages. Moreover, some villages was ruled over by more than one territorial chief: the village of Koetö Boeloh [Kute Buluh] was ruled over partly by the territorial chief of Keretan under the sovereignty of the local lord of Batu Mbulan, and partly by the territorial chief of Raje Cik under the sovereignty of the local lord of Bambel. (Ditulis ulang oleh: Ahmad Ubaid Selian. seorang pencinta sejarah dan adat Alas/http://www.facebook.com/ubaidi.selian).